Part 54, page 48

Transcript

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FD-350 (Rev. 7-16-63)

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Dan Cooper, where are you? Skyjacker still a mystery year after jump

By DOYLE WENZEL Correspondent, The Oregonian

LONGVIEW, Wash. — Thanksgiving eve, 1971, proved more than turkey and potatoes for residents in Southwest Washington, when a man described as "polite and quiet" touched off perhaps the most publicized hijacking adventure in America.

His plane ticket read Dan Cooper; he wore tinted glasses, a dark suit and a black trench coat.

The middle-aged man boarded a Northwest Airline 727 jetliner in Portland, bound for Seattle. While in the 'jet city,' he produced what he claimed was a bomb and demanded a ransom of $200,000 and four parachutes.

After receiving the ransom and chutes he parachuted into the night from the plane's open rear door, somewhere between Seattle and Reno. Officials said he landed some 35 miles north of Portland in the Southeast-ern corner of Cowlitz County, Wash.

The small town of Ariel, Wash., usually shrouded in heavy clouds and light rain, suddenly became the fastest growing area in the state. But despite FBI agents, police, the Army, area residents and deer hunters, prolonged search of the area was fruitless. What happened to the man called Cooper, and the money, remains a mystery.

The area soon was returned to normal, but the Dan Cooper adventure turned to phonograph records, sweat shirts [and] [guess: match-high] stories.

FBI agents have expressed doubt that Cooper survived the jump and the freezing temperatures. They believe his body and money are still in the hill.

Professional skydivers doubt a man wearing street shoes could jump with a 'stunt' parachute of the type the skyjacker used and land in a rough area at night without suffering an injury. If he did, he surley would have broken a leg, they say.

An Army officer, who was operations officer of the massive search that lasted several weeks, believes Cooper's body is in nearby Lake Merwin. The lake is 12 miles long and 300 feet deep in spots.

Others believe he had an accomplice waiting for him and the two sped off in a car or flew away in a small plane after Cooper landed. No one apparently really knows.

Several times throughout the past year, reports of people finding scraps of parachutes, footprints and money have renewed interest in finding Cooper or the cash. But all leads have been without merit.

Persons who have been following the story all year held their breath a few weeks ago when deer hunters found a body in the area where Cooper is believed to have landed. But the body was identified as that of 16-year-old James Annis who became lost in [the] area while hunting in [illegible]

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after the hijacking, a Reno newspaper received a note. It said: "Attention, thanks for hospitality . . . was in a rut . . . (Dan) Cooper."

The envelope was postmarked Oak Dale, Calif. Another letter sent to the Los Angeles Times said he parachuted into the night with the money to buy peace of mind because he had only 14 months to live. Another to a newspaper in 'Henderson, Nev., read: "I'm your hero, the great D.B. Cooper, the cool hijacker turned paratrooper who bailed out with the cash, shed no blood, caused no crash, but sure left old John Law in a stupor." The note was signed "Viva Las Vegas . . . (Dan) Cooper."

Law officers thought once this year they had their man when they questioned a 33-year-old champion sky diver who lacked a strong alibi for the night in question and looked remarkably like an FBI sketch of the skyjacker. But he was later released because his height, weight, and age were different from those attributed to the aerial robber.

Dan Cooper, where are you?

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48 THE ORE[GONIAN] PORTL[AND] [illegible]

Date: 11-23-72 Edition: Author: Editor: Title:

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